No single motive explains every animal lover. The evidence points to several overlapping ones: happiness, affection, companionship, close bonds with individual animals, and concern for animals’ welfare. For some people, those feelings also turn into action. “Animal lover” is a self-description, not a diagnosis, and it doesn’t prove how someone behaves.
How common is “animal lover” as an identity?
In the UK, it is very common. The RSPCA’s fifth Animal Kindness Index (2026 key findings) reports that 72% of adults described themselves as animal lovers, as did 86% of children and young people. The figures come from YouGov online surveys. One covered 5,797 UK adults aged 16+ (11–31 March 2026). The other covered 1,189 children aged 7–15 (13–31 March 2026). The RSPCA says its adult findings generally refer to those aged 18+ (n=5,619) unless stated otherwise. Results were weighted separately to represent the UK population.
These are UK numbers. They shouldn’t be read as a worldwide estimate, and they measure how people describe themselves, not what they do.
The same survey found that 32% placed animal welfare among their top three concerns. That made it the second most important issue in the RSPCA’s listed comparison. Again, this measures concern, not behavior.
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What reasons do people give for loving animals?
Happiness, affection and companionship
The clearest figures on reported reasons come from the PDSA’s 2023 UK PAW Report. It asked why people got a pet. The table shows the share of owners giving each reason.
| Reason for getting a pet (PDSA, UK, 2023) | Dog owners | Cat owners | Rabbit owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happiness | 51% | 45% | 35% |
| Love and affection | 45% | 36% | 30% |
| Companionship | 37% | 30% | 20% |
The gap between species is worth noticing. These are reasons for acquiring a pet, so they say little about why people love animals they don’t own, such as wildlife or animals they meet through volunteering. The PDSA also stresses that an animal’s welfare needs and the owner’s readiness must come first. A wish to express love for animals is not a reason to get a pet.
Relationships with individual animals
Many people trace their feelings to one particular animal. Best Friends Animal Society’s November 2025 feature collects supporters’ stories of how a bond with an individual pet led them to foster, adopt, or work for animal welfare. The stories were edited for length and clarity. They show what motivation can look like, but they aren’t survey data and don’t represent all animal lovers.
Affection and concern for protection
Research on people who support animal causes adds another layer. In Faunalytics’ descriptive results, general affection toward animals was the most common motivation category in donors’ open-ended answers. Respondents more often framed their motivation as animal protection or welfare than as animal rights.
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The same report ran a hypothetical donation exercise. Support for a wider range of causes rose when respondents saw several animal-cause categories. That hints that familiar, visible causes draw attention, but Faunalytics itself cautions that hypothetical choices have limits and need replicating with real money. It isn’t a prediction of actual giving.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does loving animals lead to helping them?
Sometimes, but not automatically. The RSPCA’s 2024 Animal Kindness Index findings note that love for animals does not always translate into positive outcomes for animal welfare. In other words, there is an attitude-action gap. That doesn’t mean any individual animal lover falls short. It means the label alone doesn’t tell you.
When care does become action, it takes different forms:
- Responsible everyday care of animals already in your life
- Fostering or adopting
- Volunteering
- Giving to animal charities
- Advocating for welfare
Affection for companion animals also shouldn’t be assumed to predict views on wildlife or farmed animals. The evidence here doesn’t establish that link.
Quick Recap
How to read these findings
- Evidence types differ. The RSPCA figures are representative surveys, the PDSA figures are owner-reported reasons, Faunalytics covers animal-cause supporters, and the Best Friends material is anecdote.
- Years and samples differ. The surveys come from 2023 and 2026 and use different questions, so their numbers shouldn’t be merged into one picture.
- No group is shown to be more compassionate. Owner versus non-owner, or donor versus non-donor, comparisons don’t support that conclusion.
- Health claims aren’t established. These sources don’t show that pets automatically improve mental health, or that love necessarily produces ethical behavior.
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